


Taken Care Of

by TELLTALEGIRL



Series: Van Der Linde family [4]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Family, Hurt Arthur Morgan, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Dutch, Protective Hosea, Sickfic, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:28:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27014305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TELLTALEGIRL/pseuds/TELLTALEGIRL
Summary: It had started with a cough.Arthur had just brushed it off as a side effect of the cold weather, but the symptoms only got worse throughout the day. Of course he would have the luck of getting sick in their current situation. The last thing the group needed was for him to be down and out as well.Dutch and Hosea needed him to be strong, and he fully intended to.
Relationships: Arthur Morgan & Dutch van der Linde, Hosea Matthews & Arthur Morgan, Hosea Matthews & Dutch van der Linde, Hosea Matthews/Dutch van der Linde
Series: Van Der Linde family [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817668
Comments: 5
Kudos: 76





	Taken Care Of

AN ~ Heyo guys here I am with another RDR oneshot! This one I hope you guys enjoy, its hard to come up with prompts these days lol.

* * *

  
It had started with a cough.

Arthur had just brushed it off as a side effect of the cold weather, but the symptoms only got worse throughout the day. Of course he would have the luck of getting sick in their current situation. The last thing the group needed was for him to be down and out as well. 

Dutch and Hosea needed him to be strong, and he fully intended to. 

He had managed to keep his condition pretty well hidden actually. Where everyone was so on edge due to the whole Blackwater incident, no one really had time to notice his very odd cough and sniffles when he was around any of the group. Even Miss Grimshaw who was the ever watchful one in the group, and who had a partial hand in his upbringing.

He still recalled those nights when he and John would come back from a job or something and she would start scolding them for being covered in dirt. The two of them even looked to Dutch and Hosea for some form of help, but their mentor's just laughed at their misfortune. Smiling at the memory Arthur is interuppted by a hacking cough bursting from his dry throat.

Pearson who had been busy with making some food for the group had stopped in his work and looked at the coughing man before him. 'Shit.' Arthur mentally cursed as he tried to get his bout of coughs under control. The last thing he needed was for Pearson to tell someone that he wasn't feeling 100%. 

Reigning in the coughing Arthur shrugs it off and just glares at Pearson, hoping to god that he would let it go. 

The camp cook held his stare for a few seconds longer than got back to whatever he was doing before. Letting out an internal sigh of relief Arthur slid up close to the embers in the pit, trying to bring any semblance of warmth back to his fingers. He spoke with Pearson for a bit before Charles came in tired of Pearson's complaining, and Arthur was inclined to believe him.

That was until Charles invited him to come along hunting with him. It wasn't that Arthur didn't want to help the man feed the camp, its just that he has been feeling more and more drained since he got this damned cold. He just didn't want to drag the other down.

But shoving those thoughts aside Arthur joined him, and they set out to see what they could find. During their ride Arthur was constantly shivering despite his added layers and his head was pounding from the cold. It was a miracle that he was able to hit the two deers. Charles didn't seem to notice anything off with the man that he could tell.

Charles was a hard one to read sometimes. He hardly ever showed any emotion beyond his blank stares. When Arthur had lifted the deer onto his shoulder though his knees nearly buckled at the weight. Charles had glanced at him and looked as if he wanted to say something but to Arthur's joy he stayed quiet. 

On the ride back they shared little more than small talk. About when the other had joined the gang and what had led them to this point. By the time they had returned and Arthur had helped Pearson skin the deer, he was ready to fall into his bed. He was glad that he had his own room right now given his condition. If he had been around someone like Micah, he would never hear the end of it. 

Shaking his head free of the annoying rat in his thoughts Arthur trudged through the snow towards the cabin he was sharing with Dutch, Molly and Hosea ready for this day to be over with.

* * *

  
Sitting by the fireplace Hosea tries to rub any warmth he can get back into his icy palms. Ever since they had been chased up this mountain by the Pinkertons, he had been running himself ragged and this damned snow was not helping his cough whatsoever. That was the first thing he had heard from Dutch.

He had explained to his friend that it was just a symptom of his old age, but that didn't stop Dutch from mother henning him at all hours. And the had when they settled down here the first night how bad his coughing had become. All through the night Dutch had stayed with him fretting over him every time he heard even a litte wheeze from the older man. 

Hosea found it endearing and he couldn't say no to Dutch's worry. But there was another thought swirling through his mind. Arthur had not been acting right for the past few days. Hosea couldn't quite place what was troubling his boy but he had a pretty good guess. 

The old outlaw remembered this exact beheaviour from when Arthur was younger. Being the one to care for him when he was sick he could pick up on the boys tells better than anyone, even Dutch who was constantly worried if a simple cold with take their boy away from them. And Hosea couldn't blame the man.

Ever since they had found Arthur the three of them had become inseperable, and for good reason. They were all they had in this cruel world. They were three parts of a whole and they were nothing without each other. 

That's why when he was sitting there with Dutch and in walked Arthur he knew something was wrong. He barely shared more than a word with them before shuffling off to bed. When he was certain the door was firmly closed he spoke. "You've noticed it too right?" He simply asks without looking away from the fire in front of them. 

"Oh of course, that boy has a horrible poker face." Hosea actually chuckles at that. There had been no truer words ever spoken. "Well I suppose we should--" Hosea is cut off by a loud crash from Arthur's room. The two men share a panicked look before they both are out of their seats and at their fallen boy's side.

Later that night Arthur found himself in the main room of the cabin covered in numerous blankets in front of the now blazing fire. And much to his embaressment and secret joy he had his head laid on Dutch's lap with his legs resting in Hosea's while Hosea read from one of his books. Before Arthur was able to drift off to a now restful sleep he felt Dutch and Hosea both give his arm a reassuring pat, and then all he knew was warmth and darkness. 

* * *

AN ~ Sorry if this seemed a bit rushed and choppy but I had this idea for ever and an age, and I just wanted to get it out to you guys to read! Hope it was good let me know what you guys think.


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